Sollux Captor was not a people person.
He had a lisp and mismatched eyes, causing him to always be made fun of, human touch to him was like an electric shock that scared him almost every time, and computers were his only safe haven. On the internet, no one knew of his speech impediment or his issues with physical contact. All anyone knew of him was his handle, the one he used for absolutely everything, twinArmageddons, and to never get on his bad side. Sollux was known well for doing everything from giving out small viruses, to blowing up the entire computer with a single script of code, to hacking into government agencies' websites and stealing software. The majority of his 22 years were spent on a computer of some kind. Currently almost every waking moment of his day was filled with the 15" homemade laptop he carried everywhere in his yellow and black striped messenger bag. Sollux had built the machine from unwanted parts at work which his employer gave to him when she couldn't pay Sollux's full salary. Sollux worked in a small electronics shop within walking distance of not only his apartment but his college. Five days a week he would wake up at 8am, though he wouldn't have been asleep for long, get ready in a half hour, head to school and go through the routine of his classes which of course included computer science and other technology related courses. Once the bell would ring he would hurry to work where he would take computers apart, put them together, or even work on the actual software while the computer was booted up. After work, Sollux would usually just head straight home or occasionally he'd walk across town to visit his parents and older brother. Both of Sollux's dads were elated to see him every time, but his brother, Mituna, was harder to read. Mituna was somewhat mentally retarded. Sollux was usually forgotten due to the need to care for his older brother. He said he didn't mind, but really this constant forgetting of Sollux helped to make him shy away from the outside world. When he didn't go to his childhood home, which was what usually happened, Sollux would stay up for hours either doing homework or fucking with other peoples computers through his own, untraceable, model.  He usually wouldn't even manage to leave his desk until five or six in the morning. He never ate much. Usually he just grabbed a cup of coffee at the small, one store, non-corporation run, coffee shop in between his apartment and school and then would have lunch from a vending machine by the computer lab.  No one really talked to Sollux and he claimed to like it that way. He had online friends, sure, but he'd never really been able to connect with anyone in person. Everything was routine for him. Wake up, get ready, go to school, go to work, and go home. It was simple enough.
Then there was a change.
A new barista at the coffee shop, who became the fresh addition to the popular crowd in school, arrived. Sollux could care less at first; it made no consequential difference to him. But then he overheard a game of truth or dare from the popular table while he ate his bag of chips and updated some of his software. A girl with long black hair and black, thin wire, rimmed glasses, asked the new boy, who had light brown hair with a blonde streak up the middle and thick hipster glasses of his own, simply truth or dare. Since the boy had already said truth a few times he smirked and offered himself to a dare. The group probably didn't realize that Sollux's headphones weren't playing any music. They were there to make sure no one bothered him. Then the girl, whose name Sollux had come to know was Vriska Serket, smirked and told him as though she had been waiting for this moment her dare for him.
"Get techie over there to go on a date with you," she pointed at Sollux whose eyes widened a bit behind his dual colored glasses, "and kiss him." The new kid choked a bit on his soda. Sollux just continued typing like he'd heard nothing, though inside he was freaking out. "His name is Sollux Captor, I think. He works at the electronics store down the road. Walks everywhere, so can't live too far away either." She scoffed judgingly. "All of the apartments within walking distance are piss-poor quality." Sollux shut down his laptop and unplugged his inactive headphones. He shoved them both in his messenger bag and tossed the last of the chips when he stood up. He was done listening to their smartass tones. "Oh and look, there he goooess.~ Go chase your white whale, Ahab!" She cackled loudly and Sollux rolled his eyes. He decided to do something he hadn't done almost the entire school year. Speak.
Facing the group and only a couple feet away he smirks, flips them off, and adds in, "My headphones weren't playing music, fucktards. Heard every word." He then turns away from the dropped jaws and stuffs his hands in his pockets as his feet push him forward. He hears a few of the preps go to stand up and head after him, but none do. They decide he isn't worth getting in trouble. Sollux figures that by their high school-kid nature, he's probably two or three years older than them all. In fact, he didn't remember their looming presence last school year. Suddenly he's been spun around and he's pinned to a wall by a forearm to his neck. Sollux can't breathe, not due to the arm, there's almost no pressure behind it. He can't breathe due to the electric shock spreading out from his neck caused by the feeling of someone else's skin on his. A leg is kicked into the stomach of the boy in front of him and Sollux gasps when the feeling is suddenly removed. He looks over at his attacker. "Strider? What the ever loving fuck?!"
Dave Strider, a boy with eyes such an odd shade of brown that they released the illusion of being red, just like Sollux's own left eye, and platinum blonde hair, smirked from behind his shades where he now lay on the floor. "I need to talk to you."
"Well, I don't feel like talking to you." Sollux rubbed at his left temple where a headache was beginning to form. Dave must have been trying to get his attention for a few minutes or he wouldn't have gone to such extreme measures.
"Too fucking bad. Look, bro, I just need to tell you one thing." Sollux raised an eyebrow at him. "Give the hipster prick a chance."
"No fucking way!" Sollux went to walk off when Dave grabbed hold of his wrist. "Don't touch me." He yanked his wrist free from the other boy's grasp and bit at his lip. "Why should I?"
"He may have some fucking potential if you just give him a chance, bro. That's all I'm saying." Dave cast off the motion with a shrug before turning and walking away. Sollux knew him well for these odd encounters. The only thing left on Sollux's mind as the blonde walked away from him was that he was going to be asked out by a preppy rich kid and that "Cool Kid" Strider just told him to give the prep a chance.
Sollux just wanted to be left alone.